On our show Marble Halls & Silver Screens last night, fellow front page writer Brad Slager and I covered Netflix’s “principled” stand on abortion in which they threaten to leave the state of Georgia over the heartbeat bill once it takes effect in January. As Brad noted on the show (post to come), there’s a bit of hypocrisy in their stance since they’ll be making a ton of money off the tax incentives the state offers (which is why “Y’allywood” has become what it’s become) for the next year, at which point they are likely to reassess any decision to leave.

Now comes word that Slager was more right than he even knew (sometimes it happens) because Netflix may not be as unfriendly to abortion as their public grandstanding would lead the world to believe.

1. Yesterday, @netflix said it may pull out of Georgia if the courts uphold the state's new abortion ban

The company wants to be known as a champion of women's rights

So why has CEO @reedhastings given so much cash to legislators pushing abortion bans? https://t.co/lT9RmZ8LRO pic.twitter.com/jj7e7ZAz4J

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 29, 2019

2. Over the last 10 months, Netflix CEO @reedhastings has donated $143,000 to 73 Republican members of the Missouri legislature (and Governor Mike Parsons)

Missouri just enacted an abortion ban nearly as restrictive as Georgiahttps://t.co/lT9RmZ8LRO

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 29, 2019

From the article:

Netflix issued a statement on Tuesday about Georgia’s new abortion law, which bans abortions after six weeks. The company said that if the law survives legal challenges it may stop filming in the state.

We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law. It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.

The company is portraying itself in public as an unflinching supporter of abortion rights.

But, over the last 10 months, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donated $143,000 to 73 Republican members of the Missouri legislature (and Governor Mike Parsons) who just passed an abortion ban nearly as restrictive as Georgia. (You can see a list of every donation HERE.)

…

Hastings, who has previously supported Democrats, is likely interested in an effort to restore financial perks for TV shows and movies that are filmed in Missouri. (The state used to “tax credits to cover up to 35 percent of production costs if a studio spent more than $100,000 in the state” but the program expired in 2013.) One of Netflix’s hit shows, Ozarks, is set in Missouri but is mostly filmed in Georgia, which offers generous tax incentives.

Which is to say Hastings has little problem acting (if you’ll forgive the term) like he’s an abortion advocate so his industry friends will still like him while still being a shrewd businessman who understands biting the hand that feeds you means less money in the bank.

Truly principled people take the hit to the bank account and call it worth it. Hastings principled average citizen is apparently at odds with his inner mogul on the abortion issue.

And these kinds of situations are why, as Slager mentions on the show, once entertainers start to “get woke, they go broke.” One day maybe in a happier future, entertainers will stop trying to preach their personal beliefs to the rest of America and just let people live. And the people might return the favor and start going back to the movies.

Full episode of MH&SS below.

Listen to “Marble Halls & Silver Screens Ep. 71” on Spreaker.